


quietly

by miiniwa



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 10:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10161044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miiniwa/pseuds/miiniwa
Summary: Everything about Maa-kun is—He heaves out a long sigh.—so warm."Maa-kun, there're a few things I haven't told you before," Ritsu says suddenly, eyes briefly closing, and Mao shifts slightly in his spot."Hm? What is it?" Mao questions, voice somewhat soft, gentle, and probably sleepy.





	

When Ritsu wakes up, the sun is just barely shining through his curtains, it's difficult for him to open his eyes all the way, and everything feels too _warm_.

 

 

He yawns lightly, his room slowly clicking into view as his morning vision gradually fades away, and he stares up at the ceiling, quiet.

 

 

He tries to turn over, realizing that it's unusually difficult, and he frowns, looking over to see Mao sleeping peacefully next to him.

 

 

 _No wonder I woke up_ , Ritsu thinks, looking at the heavy arm draped over his chest, and then back at the sleeping face of Mao.

 

 

Ritsu continues staring at him silently, wondering whether he should wake him up or not, before he decides that he might as will lift Mao's arm off from his chest first.

 

 

Carefully, he reaches over and pushes Mao's arm away, watching his expression for any type of change, and Mao cringes a little in his sleep, before he shifts, turning his back towards him.

 

 

 _...His hair's sticking up a lot at the back_ , Ritsu notices, and he can't help but smile to himself a little, vaguely reminded of sheep.

 

 

Mao stirs a bit more, as if he knows that he's being watched, before he finally sits up, yawning loudly and rubbing at his eyes, partially buried beneath his bangs, which he doesn't always pin up at night.

 

 

"Morning, Ricchan," he mutters, reaching over and ruffling the side of Ritsu's head, a morning habit that had spurred from out of nowhere, months ago, and Ritsu hums quietly in response.

 

 

"I woke up after you?" Mao questions, taking a look at his phone for the time, and he yawns again as he stands up from the bed, taking a few seconds to stretch his arms out.

 

 

"It's unusual for you," Ritsu comments, sitting up, arms wrapped comfortably around a pillow.

 

 

Mao glances over at him, a slightly reluctant look in his eyes.

 

 

"Well, it was comfy," he mutters, quickly heading off to the bathroom to freshen up, saying things like "unhealthy" and "your fault" before the door closes.

 

 

Mao returns a few minutes later, face freshly washed and fringe finally pinned up, and his school blazer placed over his shoulder, still feeling a bit too warm to put it on.

 

 

"Hey, shouldn't you be getting ready too?" Mao questions, arms crossed before he briefly turns around to check the mirror in their room, making sure that he looks alright.

 

 

 _Ah_ , Ritsu blinks, the curls at the back of Mao's head catching his eye, looking exactly the same as when he had woken up.

 

 

"Maa-kun," Ritsu calls out, and Mao turns to face him, brow raised.

 

 

"What is it?" He asks, head tilting to the side, peacefully oblivious, and Ritsu does his best to fight off a smile.

 

 

"...It's nothing. I'll get ready now," he says, deciding to keep it all to himself, and Mao can only sigh in response.

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

"You woke up a bit earlier today, so we don't have to rush to get to school for once," Mao comments, grateful at finally being able to walk at a leisurely pace in the morning, and also for the fact that he doesn't have to carry Ritsu on his back.

 

 

"You can still carry me if you want," Ritsu says, as if reading his mind, and Mao rolls his eyes.

 

 

"No thanks," he replies, giving Ritsu's shoulder a small nudge.

 

 

"Oh, hold on," Mao says, taking a hold of Ritsu's bag, for safety precautions, as he stops the two of them in front of a vending machine.

 

 

"You want one?" Mao asks, already fishing change out of his back pocket.

 

 

"Sure," Ritsu replies, eyeing the selection of drinks, which he notes are mostly hot, since the weather had started becoming significantly colder.

 

 

After sliding the coins into the slot, Mao presses the button for two canned coffees, both sweet, and hands one over to Ritsu.

 

 

"Ahh, like I thought, being able to relax on the way to school is great," Mao sighs, eyes closing in happiness after taking a long sip of coffee.

 

 

"I think I agree with you this time," Ritsu replies, and Mao opens his eyes to look over at him, not all too surprised at what he sees.

 

 

"Hey, that's not why I bought that for you, you know," Mao tells him, gaze dull as he stares at Ritsu, who had been pressing the can of coffee against his face to absorb its heat.

 

 

"Then Maa-kun should carry me," Ritsu insists, a light glint in his eyes.

 

 

"I don't know how you got to that point, but it's not happening," Mao replies strictly, before taking Ritsu's coffee from him, opening the can, and then handing it back to him.

 

 

"It was worth a try," Ritsu declares, taking a sip of coffee, not quite as sweet as he would have liked it to be.

 

 

"Hey, after school let's buy something from the vending machines again," Mao suggests, and Ritsu can't help but notice that he seems to be in a happier-than-usual mood.

 

 

There's a shining light in Mao's eyes, most likely the reflection of the morning sun rising, but Ritsu would also like to think that it's just an innate part of him, because he's that sort of person.

 

 

Besides that, Ritsu also notices that the curls of hair are still prominent at the nape of Mao's neck, and he feels the ends of his lips lightly tug upward.

 

 

"Then you can carry"—

 

 

" _No_ , Ricchan."

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

It's nearly two in the morning when Ritsu is lying down on his bed, eyes idly drawn to the ceiling, with his mind quietly drifting off and considering sleep.

 

 

"This is why I was against the afternoon nap," Mao sighs as he enters the room, a towel rubbing at his hair, slightly dripping with water.

 

 

"It messes up your sleeping schedule," Mao complains, sitting down on the bed next to Ritsu, still rubbing the towel against his hair in hopes of drying it sooner.

 

 

 _...I wonder if it'll curl up in the morning_ , Ritsu thinks to himself when he glances up and sees the back of Mao's hair, almost completely flat after his shower.

 

 

"How come you're not saying anything?" Mao questions, looking over at him with an accusing expression on his face.

 

 

"Your voice is putting me to sleep," Ritsu finally says back, eyes closing, and Mao raises a brow.

 

 

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," he says, giving his hair one last thorough rub before he walks over and hangs the towel up.

 

 

"Anyway, let's go to sleep already," Mao continues, switching the lights off before he sits back down on the bed and he lightly nudges Ritsu more to the side.

 

 

"Back," Ritsu says, poking at Mao's arm, once he's situated and lying down.

 

 

"Huh?" Mao questions, glancing down at him.

 

 

"Back," Ritsu repeats, red eyes looking a bit more drowsy than usual.

 

 

"Oh," Mao finally understands, turning his back towards him, because he sometimes forgets that Ritsu likes to sleep against his back once in a while, for a reason he probably wouldn't be able to get.

 

 

He can feel Ritsu snuggle slightly along his back, and somehow, he can tell that he's content.

 

 

Meanwhile, Ritsu realizes that it's been a while since he's fallen asleep against Mao's back, and he wonders if Mao's shoulders had always been this broad, if he's always had that light cinnamon scent to him.

 

 

 _Everything about Maa-kun is_ —

 

 

He heaves out a long sigh.

 

 

— _so warm_.

 

 

"Maa-kun, there're a few things I haven't told you before," Ritsu says suddenly, eyes briefly closing, and Mao shifts slightly in his spot.

 

 

"Hm? What is it?" Mao questions, voice somewhat soft, gentle, and probably sleepy.

 

 

"Sometimes, your hair curls up a lot at the back when you sleep, but you still go out with it like that," Ritsu tells him, and Mao instantly sits up and faces him, an embarrassed look on his face.

 

 

"Wha— seriously? You should tell me about things like that," Mao sighs, feeling slightly self conscious about it all.

 

 

"Also, I'm usually the one who eats the last pudding in your fridge," Ritsu continues, calmly.

 

 

"Ah, kinda figured that one," Mao says with a sarcastic smile, thinking back to all the times Ritsu had nonchalantly claimed that it had been a ghost, even when they were children.

 

 

Mao sighs again, plopping back onto the bed and turning his back towards him, prepared to sleep after assuming that Ritsu is just trying to make small talk in attempts to not go to sleep yet.

 

 

"There's one other thing I never told you," Ritsu mutters, fingers tracing little shapes on Mao's back.

 

 

"Hmm?" Mao responds, somewhat sing-song, and Ritsu closes his eyes at how reassuring his voice sounds to him.

 

 

"That I like you, Maa-kun," Ritsu says, not too surprised at how easily he had been able to say it, and he wonders just how long he's been wanting to tell him.

 

 

It's quiet, and Ritsu blinks in surprise when he can feel the temperature of Mao's back rise.

 

 

Seconds pass, and Ritsu eventually smiles to himself at the fact that Mao is pretending to be asleep, deciding to let it pass for now, because he knows that Mao will reply properly sooner or later, probably in the morning, since that's the way he is.

 

 

On the other side, Mao finally closes his eyes at the feeling of Ritsu's smile against his back, and with the warmth of everything, he wonders if it'll be possible for him to fall asleep at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Most of this was written while I was sleepy which is why there's kind of a lot of sleepiness and drowsiness involved ?? I hope you guys get a proper amount of rest and sleep and soft ritsumaos ;;;
> 
> most active at: https://twitter.com/kuuroken


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